Matthias Aeschbacher was born in Zürich and comes from a family of musicians. He began his musical education with piano lessons from his father, before studies at the Academy of Music in Zürich. He began his career as a pianist whilst taking lessons in conducting from the principal conductor of the Zürich Opera, Christian Vöchting, who engaged Aeschbacher as a répétiteur in 1964. In 1968 Matthias Aeschbacher was appointed conductor there and in 1976 he took up the post of General Music Director in Lübeck. Since 1991 he has been Principal Conductor of the Theatre and Orchestra in Essen. He has made guest appearances with many leading orchestras in Europe, including the Residentie Orkest in The Hague, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and the NDR Symphony Orchestra in Hamburg.